[Jongsoo Lee] America, North Korea must change their present course to avoid war

The United States and North Korea need to wake up to the reality that time is running out for a peaceful resolution to their nuclear standoff. Both must adjust their behavior if they are to avoid a war.Pyongyang must realize that, at present, it’s nuclear and missile program is making it more vulnerable to a US pre-emptive attack instead of strengthening its self-defense. If it’s nuclear and missile program is indeed for self-defense and it aspires to be a responsible nuclear power, as Kim Jong-

Feb. 8, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] The Berlin Wall is still standing

The Berlin Wall divided the city for 28 years, two months and 28 days starting Aug. 13, 1961. It ended on Nov. 9, 1989, when Guenter Schabowski, a top East German official, erroneously announced that crossing into West Berlin was now permitted. Now that the same amount of time -- 28 years, two months and 28 days -- has passed, it’s fitting that the next German government is expected to end the solidarity tax created to even out economic differences between both sides.　While there’s little sign o

Feb. 8, 2018

[J. Bradford DeLong] Donald Trump is playing to lose

America certainly has a different kind of president than what it is used to. What distinguishes Donald Trump from his predecessors is not just his temperament and generalized ignorance, but also his approach to policymaking.First, consider Bill Clinton, who in 1992 was, like Trump, elected without a majority of voters. Once in office, Clinton appealed to the left with fiscal-stimulus and health-care bills (both unsuccessful), but also tacked center with a pro-growth deficit-reduction bill. He ap

Feb. 8, 2018

[Komal Sri-Kumar] Falling stocks, rising yields aren‘t new normal

Investors in US equities and bonds headed for the doors on Friday, with the bearish sentiment extending to global markets as the new week began Monday. The immediate cause of the sell-off was the jobs report for January, which showed that average hourly wages rose at the fastest annual pace since 2009. 　But the rising pay was a false alarm. Workers were employed for fewer hours last month, reducing their weekly take-home pay compared with December, and significantly slowing the pace of increase

Feb. 7, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Europe’s window to shore up Macedonia closing

The heightened perception of a Russian threat to the West could have at least one positive consequence: The admission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom) to the European Union. But the massive rallies in Athens on Sunday, with at least 140,000 protesting the Greek government’s apparent willingness to compromise on Macedonia’s name, show that the 26-year-old issue isn’t about to fade away.　Ever since Yugoslavia broke up in 1991, Macedonia has lacked a permanent official name beca

Feb. 7, 2018

[Adam Minter] China could steer self-driving cars

In China, the cars are becoming smarter. Last week, Alibaba Group Holding and Foxconn Technology led a $348 million fundraising round for Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology, a 3-year-old startup developing internet-connected, electric cars. The investment might seem an odd one for online retailer Alibaba. But it’s part of a larger vision for transportation that includes tools to design and run entire cities. Indeed, with backing from the Chinese government, Alibaba could soon seize the lead ov

Feb. 6, 2018

[Los Angeles Times] Nunes’ memo promises much, delivers nothing remotely credible

After what we can be sure was not careful consideration, President Donald Trump on Friday approved the release of a memo prepared by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee. And, of course, he explained himself in a tweet: “The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans -- something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago.”　That indeed is the conclus

Feb. 6, 2018

[Albert R. Hunt] Voters feel good about the economy, not about Trump

There is an acute struggle dividing US voters that isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans or differences on issues.It’s about the public’s optimistic view of the economy during the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency and the simultaneously pessimistic view of Trump himself. The contrast is striking.　Polls show overwhelming satisfaction with the state of the economy, the most since the final three years of President Bill Clinton’s administration and the early months of the George W. Bush pr

Feb. 6, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Undead rock stars shouldn’t play stadiums

As a middle-aged rock fan, I have a problem many of my peers would relate to: Every year, more of my favorite musicians die, and every year, the list seems to get longer. It took me a few days to get over the recent loss of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith; my wife was stricken when the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan -- who was my age -- suddenly died last month.　I’m not sure, though, that I’m down with the way some innovative companies are trying to fill the void.　I understand the economics behind last

Feb. 5, 2018

[Christian Schneider] Liberal candidates pushing the court further into politics

In a 2007 speech to a group of lawyers in Peru, the late US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia laid out his rules for being a good judge.　“First, a judge must be, above all else, a servant of the law -- and not an enforcer of his personal predilections,” Scalia told the group. “The good judge must suppress his personal views and must decide each case as the law dictates, not as he would have resolved the matter if he had drafted the law or the constitutional provision at issue.”　Madison Attorn

Feb. 5, 2018

[Shannon O’Neil] Mexico’s voters have bigger problems than Trump

To hear some US politicians tell it, President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from NAFTA, build a wall and kick out the Dreamers may cast a decisive shadow over Mexico’s upcoming presidential election. Yet if Mexicans do vote for change, it will more likely be because they are fed up by homegrown woes, beginning with the blatant impunity that has fueled criminal violence and rampant corruption.　While Mexico’s surging homicide rate understandably draws top media billing, widespread corporate

Feb. 5, 2018